Happy Singles Awareness Day
by Marion the Geek
Summary: It's not the usual Valentine fic. BA Friendship. Slight shippiness. Fluffy but not pure fluff. Bobby's Valentine plans fall through. Also he sends Alex roses. Set in season 6.


Author's Note: Happy Valentine's Day. This story is not quite the usual Valentine fodder. I hope you like it.

Disclaimer: Law & Order: Criminal Intent belongs to Dick Wolf, NBC, and Wolf Films, et al. The characters and setting are borrowed without permission. This is a work of fan fiction. The plot belongs to me. I am making no money from this. I humbly request not to be sued.

Title: Happy Singles Awareness Day

By: Marion

**February 14, 2007; 4:30pm.**

"See you mooks later," said Mike Logan. His hair was slicked and shiny. He had a big red heart shaped box of chocolates under one arm and a bouquet of roses in the other hand. "I hope your night is as good as mine." He waggled his eyebrows suggestively and waved goodbye to his fellow detectives.

"Sounds like someone is getting lucky tonight," Robert Goren muttered, giving his partner a smirk across their desks.

"He hopes," she snarked back.

"Come on, Eames," said Bobby, grinning at her. "Where's your Valentine's Day spirit?"

"Happy singles awareness day," she said. "I don't buy into the hype."

"You saying you wouldn't want a box of champagne truffles and a dozen roses?"

Alex Eames smiled at her partner but didn't answer. "What are you doing tonight, Casanova?"

Bobby's smile broadened and softened. "I have a date," he said. "Denise called me on Friday."

Alex raised her eyebrows. "Maybe Mike isn't the only one getting lucky," she said.

"Maybe," he said with a light chuckle. Bobby tilted his head as he looked at her. Was that disappointment he saw in her eyes? Her smile never wavered. "What are your plans?"

"A bubble bath and a movie on DVD," she said. "It's just another day like any other." She smiled wider. "Except for this." She held out a hand made valentine card to him. It was written in crayon. "Caleb made it."

Bobby looked over her card. "It's beautiful," he said, handing back the card from her nephew.

Alex grinned. "He's my best guy." She got started on her last form. "You better finish up that paperwork. Denise isn't going to wait all night."

"Only one more i to dot and t to cross," said Bobby, signing the last form. He gathered up the paperwork and put it into Captain Ross's box. He walked back to their desks and picked up his coat. "Good night, Eames," he said. "Happy Valentine's Day."

"You too. Have fun, Bobby," she said. He flashed her a smile and waved as he hoped on the elevator.

xxx

**February 14, 2007; 5:25pm.**

"Evening, Sal," said Bobby, walking up to the florist's counter. The older blonde woman behind the counter smiled at his approach.

"Your order is ready, Bobby," she said. "And I sent the dozen white roses to your mom this morning."

"Pretty ones?" he asked with a charming grin.

"My best bouquet," she said, grinning back. "Now tell me Bobby, how many girlfriends do you have? One dozen roses, eleven yellow, one red." She placed the bouquet box on the counter. "One dozen long stem red roses." She placed another bouquet box on the counter. "Plus a box of champagne truffles, a heart shaped box of mixed truffles, and an expensive bottle of champagne." She placed the rest of it on the counter.

"The yellow roses and the champagne truffles are for a very dear friend," he said, handing her his credit card. "Think Charlie is up for one last delivery to Rockaway?"

"I'm sure he would do it for you, kiddo," she said, running the card. Bobby wrote a quick note card and gave her an address to deliver the yellow roses.

xxx

**February 14, 2007; 6:20pm.**

Alex answered a knock on her door.

"I have a delivery for Alex Eames," said the man at the door.

"That's me," she said.

He handed her a long stem rose box. "Happy Valentine's Day, ma'am."

Alex took the box inside and set it on her dining room table. She lifted the top and picked up the note card.

It read:

_I know you don't buy into the hype._

_Happy Singles Awareness Day to the Best Partner I've ever had._

_I'm sorry things have been so screwed up lately._

xxx

**February 14, 2007; 9:37pm.**

"My neighbor just called to tell me there was a man loitering on my porch," said Alex, stepping out of her front door. She ran her fingers through her partner's hair affectionately.

He glanced up at her from where he was sitting on her front steps. "I was debating whether or not to knock," he said. At his feet she noticed another bouquet box, a heart shaped chocolates box, and a bottle of champagne.

"What happened to Denise?"

He gave her an unhappy smile. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you," he said. The look on her face said 'try me.' He sighed and ran a hand over his face. She sat down beside him. "It wasn't a date. She wanted to tell me Fred proposed. She's getting married. She didn't think about the day of the month when she asked to meet me. She said she didn't remember it was Valentine's Day until three dozen roses showed up this morning from her new fiancé."

Alex fought the urge to laugh. She didn't want to hurt Bobby, but the bizarreness of the situation was funny. "Wow," she said. "Seriously?"

"I'm not creative enough to make that up," he said. "I don't… I mean… it's not like we were exclusive. And I want to be happy for her… I am happy for her. I just…" He wrung his hands. "I feel like an idiot," he finished lamely.

"Hey," she said, patting his arm. "If I were you, I would have thought it was a date, too." She leaned around to catch his eyes. "Thank you for the roses, Bobby. And the truffles. That was very sweet of you."

He gave her a small, genuine smile. "I'm glad you liked them," he said softly.

"I was pretty surprised," she said. "Six years, you've never done that before."

"I…" He was unsure of what to say. He looked down at his feet.

"We're going to be okay," she said. "But I appreciate the gesture." She ran her fingers through his hair again. "The thing with Denise got to you, didn't it? That's why you're here."

He grunted softly but didn't face her. "It just got me thinking," he said, his voice barely a whisper. "Some people find someone to share their life with. They look so happy. And they make it look so easy. Sometimes I wish…" He trailed off uncertainly.

"You were never going to marry Denise," Alex said gently.

"No," he agreed. "And I'm glad she found someone who makes her happy. Happier than I could."

They sat in silence for a while, watching the night go by. "So why didn't you knock when you got here?" Alex asked after a time.

"I hadn't figured out how to say what I came here to say," he said, focusing his gaze on a cat bathing itself in the light of a streetlamp across the street.

She cocked an eyebrow. "And what did you come here to say?"

He sighed, facing determinedly away from her. "I came to say I'm sorry for the distance I've put between us," he said. "And that I am afraid."

She could feel the power in that statement and knew what it had cost him. "Tell me what you're afraid of," she said gently.

He pressed the heels of his hands over his eyes for a moment. "My mom is going to die," he said simply. "And she's afraid of dying alone. I'm afraid that when she dies I'll be alone. And it's my own fault."

"Bobby…" She touched his arm, trying to will him to look at her.

"When my dad died, I cleaned out his apartment," he said. "He ate his dinners standing at the sink. His only companion was his TV. As I was cleaning out the place, I thought about how lonely it seemed. I knew I didn't want that for myself. I don't want to die alone."

Alex listened patiently. Bobby began to move his hands, gesturing broadly as he spoke. "I knew I had to come here and try to fix what I broke at Thanksgiving. Because this friendship is one that really matters to me, and if I lose you I really will be alone."

"I'm not going anywhere, Bobby," she said, struggling to keep her voice even. "How on earth did you come at all this from Denise getting married?"

"She said something that made me think," he said. "She said when you find someone to spend forever with, you know it. And all I could think was that the only person I could ever see me spending forever with was you."

Alex stared at him, agape and blushing crimson. He still wasn't facing her. He laughed softly to himself even as a blush colored his own cheeks. "Probably sounds pretty crazy," he said. "But I had to see you. To make sure we're okay. Because in the end, you're the one that counts."

Alex bit her lip. "I don't know what I'm supposed to say here, Bobby," she said.

He did look at her then, and he was smiling. "You don't have to say anything," he said. "I just came here to tell you that I love you. And I can't put parameters on that like romantic or platonic or familial…because I don't know how to define it or what it means. I just thought you should know. Before I do something else stupid and destroy what we have."

"Has anyone ever told you you're a little strange?" she asked, meeting his gaze.

He chuckled. "Yes," he said. A grin tugged at her lips. She leaned her head against his shoulder, hugging his arm and giggling softly.

After a moment she looked down at the valentine accoutrements at his feet. "So, uh, you weren't planning on drinking that champagne all by yourself, were you?" she asked, nudging him in the side with her elbow.

"I thought I might share it with a friend," he said. "You wouldn't know where I could find one of those, would you?"

She laughed as she got to her feet. She held her hand out to him to help him up. "I was going to watch 'When Harry Met Sally,'" she said. "Care to join me?"

"I'd love to," he said, gathering up his things.

"You know its some consolation that Mike will still be an old bachelor for all his having dates on Valentine's day," she said as they went inside.

"I wouldn't count on that," said Bobby. "His date tonight was Carolyn Barek."

Alex's eyes widened and she smiled. "She's been holding out on me." She settled Bobby on her couch and went to get two glasses. When she returned he had set up the movie and was holding out the open box of chocolates to her.

"If you bite into one you don't like, you can give it to me," he said.

"Likewise," she said, settling in beside him and pressing play. "And Bobby?"

"Hmm?"

"I love you, too."

The End 

Author's note: Well, you know what I want for Valentine's Day. Reviews!

_Roses are ff0000_ (red)

_Violets are 0000ff_ (blue)

All my base… 

_Are belong to you._

(My name is Marion the _GEEK_ for a reason.)


End file.
